Wednesday Wonders [and Fake Fear]

A few randoms for Wednesday Wonders:

-Today, Matt said to me, "I feel like I get robbed every time I eat swiss cheese. I just feel like there should be cheese in the places with all the holes." True, I suppose.

-We had another great night at church group. It was parent's night and we talked about the media: how it influences us, how we are bombarded daily with pressure to be pretty/perfect/rich/famous/cool etc etc. We talked about how to keep God in the center, even when we are being constantly tugged in different directions by all of the different parts of the media. The effects of the media don't stop at the middle school age level. It affects me in my mid-twenties, as well as the other teachers in their 40's and 50's. It affects all of us and that's what made the discussion so great. Some of those kids are so wise beyond their years.

-Going along with the media theme, Matt is watching 'Hoarders' right now. We've only seen it a few times because it's literally painful for me to watch. It also makes me want to get rid of anything of excess in my life. [It's painful for him to watch too. He lasted 5 minutes before he changed the channel.]

-My sister and I successfully checked another thing off her 'Wedding To-Do List' today. We created a unity candle for her and Tony. It's pretty. :)

-We are having a garage sale on Saturday. Are you surprised when I tell you that the forecast this entire week was/is sunny and then Saturday shows rain? Ha, I'm surely not. [Praying for cloudiness only!!]

I have to end with something I read a few minutes ago when I was checking in on my blog reader. A blog I follow, The Ecelctic Whatnot had this quote in her most recent post. It struck me to the core.

There’s real fear and there’s fake fear. Real fear is fear of something that could physically harm you or your loved ones. Fear of cancer. Fear of a car accident. Fake fear is fear of something that will not cause injury. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Overcome those fears and you can accomplish almost anything. So what if you fail. So what if you’re rejected. Try again. And again. Keep trying. Don’t miss out on your dreams because of fake fear.

My life has been partially [ok a lot] ruled by fake fear. I'm introverted by nature and so I've also shied away from anything beyond my comfort bubble more times than I can count. When I was younger, my mom would be mildly forceful and push me out of my comfort zone. She sent me to basketball camp even though I had so much fear and anxiety before going. I know, it's crazy - most kids LOVE going to sports camps. It was something that was a big stretch for me.

I have always had a fear of the unknown and an extreme fear of failure. I quit sports when they started to get hard for me. I played it safe whenever I possibly could. I am a perfectionist and never settled for anything less than perfection in academics. The fear of failing has seriously inhibited me throughout my life.

This quote just smacks me right in the middle of the forehead because it's SO RIGHT.

Those fears aren't real. They aren't life-threatening. They aren't devastating. Well, I guess they have the potential to be devastating, but only if I let them get there. These fears won't steal my life, or steal the people that I love. They are simply things that would cause a bump in the road of my life. A hurdle to be jumped over. A fall that I would have to pick my self up from, dust myself off, and move on. It sounds so easy when I say it like that, doesn't it? Easier said than done, obviously.

I have pleasantly surprised myself with Laura Radniecki Images. I have a degree in nursing and yet I took a flying leap of faith, started my own business in something that I knew nothing about when I first picked up a DSLR camera [I had to google what that even stood for!]. I took chances bigger than anything I've ever done in my entire life. I worked hard and prayed harder.

And you know what? I didn't die. I didn't fall apart. I have succeeded. I have created a business that, because God is behind it, is growing. I 100% fully believe that everything has happened as it has because God has had His hand in all of it. If it hadn't all been in His will, I would have fallen flat on my face.

I would have been dusting myself off right now, praying, and moving on.

But - I'm not. I took a chance and I am growing. Because for a little bit, I understood the power of that quote. I have felt the terror of the fake fear hundreds of times in the last year, since picking up that first DSLR camera. Most recently, it's been with my business networking. I joined the Chamber of Commerce, and in doing so, I have been stretched beyond my comfort zone more than ever. I have sat in a room full of strangers and told them about myself and about what Laura Radniecki Images is all about. I have gone to meet and greets, shook hands with people I had never met before, and stumbled over my words in explaining the philosophy behind Laura Radniecki Images. I didn't faint, and I didn't cry. I did have crazy adrenaline pumping through my veins and overly sweaty armpits, [which is a story for another time. I need antiperspirant recommendations. STRONG ones.] But I survived. And it will get easier with each time I do something like that.

Each time that I feel the creep of fake fear start to rise within myself, I am going to reread this quote. I'm going to remember that if I face that fake fear, I can grow and prosper and experience more than I would ever have imagined.

The same goes for you. Are you controlled by fake fear? Do you often feel that anxious feeling of uncertainty, nerves, and that crippling fear creep up on you?

If you do, print this quote out and put in on your computer screen, on your bathroom mirror, or in your wallet. Wherever you need to read it, put it there. We can conquer this fake fear.

Have you conquered fake fear in your life recently? I would very much love to hear about it.

Blessings,
Laura